Naperville schools get $200,000

Naperville Community Unit School District 203's physical education program has received a $200,000 federal grant for training and new equipment, officials announced this week.

U.S. Rep Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) secured the grant, district officials told the school board Monday. The funding was discussed during a presentation about the PE 4 Life Institute, based at Madison Junior High School.

The institute is a partnership between the school district and PE 4 Life, a Washington-based non-profit organization that promotes a more active approach to gym class. Phil Lawler, a Madison physical education teacher and coordinator of the district's physical education program, runs the institute.

The district in 1990 began its program, which emphasizes health and wellness and physical activity. Supt. Alan Leis said the district will use the grant money to buy more equipment for its 21 schools, hold training days for teachers and create an online training manual.

Students at most schools can use heart-rate monitors when they exercise, Leis said. The district will use some of the grant money to buy more monitors, he said.

Leis said, "The program benefits kids academically, not just physically."

Board members expressed support for the program, but they asked about how its success can be measured. Lawler said the obesity rate for the district's high school freshmen is 3 percent, compared with 33 percent for freshmen in California.

On March 15, the board is to vote on approving a formal agreement between the district and PE 4 Life. The original agreement was written in 2000, said Anne Flannery, the non-profit's executive director.